Highway signal



Dec. 16, 1930. N. ,1. NlELEEN-KLODSKOV 1,785,422

HIGHWAY S IGNAL F'ild Aug. 18, 1927 INVENTOR.

I M cl Nielsen fi/OcZs/foy WW AT ORNEYS.

Patented Dec. .16, .1930

UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE HIGHWAY SIGNAL Application filed August 18, 1927, Serial No. 213,936, and. in Denmark August 18, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in safety devices for guarding motor vehicles and the like against collisions and being run into by other cars and vehicles and the like occurrences at level railway crossings, sharp turns of the road, cross roads and the like places.

According to my invention the railway gate or barrier, or the various danger or warning signals, are provided with special means in such a way as, to ensure that the said means cannot very well escape notice, thereby to a great extent increasing the safety, of driving motor vehicles and the like. It has previously been proposed to provide railway gates, or barriers, or danger or warning signals, with mirrors, lamps and the like, but all the hitherto known methods of marking gates or signs in a conspicuous v manner have been attended with drawbacks to a more or less extent. My present invention discloses a device of a peculiar'character, not only in this respect that it makes no demands for electric current or any other power and on the whole requires no attention whatever, but more especiall with regard to the fact that it is highly efi ective and equlailly' so during the day and during the ni t.

he invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a front elevational view of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 1

Where railway gates or barriers are concerned, these are provided, according to my invention, with a suitable number of translucent bodies, preferably red glass balls. The diameter of the said balls may be, for instance between 5 and 10 cm. (2 to 4' inches), and they should be arranged on the gates or barriers at a suitable height, preferably in such a way that they may be seen from either side of the gate or barrier.

They may, for instance, be arranged in one or more horizontal row or rows, arranged in a frame as a string of beads or pearls, or they may be mounted on the gate or barrier by means of a threaded member, in such a way that they have the appearance of any desired sign or signal, such as the word Stop, or in any other suitable way. As shown in Fig. 1 a lurality of balls 1 are mounted on a wireike supportin frame 2 which in the present instance is Il811t to a S-shape formation.

Instead of balls translucent bodies of any other shape may be employed, such as prismatic bodies or the like. I

If the device has to be used in connection with danger signals, for instance at level railway crossings where no gates or barriers are in existence, at sharp turns of the road, at cross roads, narrow roads and the like, the desired warningDanger, Beware of the train, three dots arranged in a triangle, a sign in the shape of a cross, etc.-may be formed by translucent bodies, preferably glass balls coloured red; ,4

During the night and when dark the light from the vehicle approaching a gate or sign provided with a device in accordance with my invention will be reflected in part as a red light, which draws the attention of the driver to the gate or sign or the like. During the day the red glass bodies will, in part, reflect the daylight as a red coloured light, and more particularly transmit the daylight coming from behind the said bodies as red light, the said bodies being thus observed as powerful, red lamps which are visible at a considerable distance.

As shown in Fig. 2, also the balls 1 are alternately provided with reflectors 3 in the shape of sheet metal disks havingbright surfaces, said reflectors being embedded in the glass balls 1 in such a way that the alternate balls, due to the embedded reflectors, reflect the light rays in opposite directions, while the remaining balls will transmit the light therethrough due to the absence of reflectors.

I claim:

1. A highway signal comprising a frame, and a plurality of translucent coloured bodies and light-reflecting bodies alternately ar 1 9 ranged on said frame and visible from either side of the highway.

2. A highway signal for 'use at crossings provided with gates, said signal comprising 5 a plurality of translucent coloured bodies and light-reflecting bodies alternately on said gate and visible from either side of said gate.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

NIELS JORGEN NlELSEN-KLODSKOV. 

